BayesMendel working group: BRCAPRO

NEWS: Recent updates to the BRCAPRO software include:

Pedigrees of any size with relatives of all degrees can be included
Competing risks for developing non-breast and non-ovarian cancers are included in the carrier probability calculation.
Updated penetrance estimates for breast and ovarian cancers
Oophorectomy history can be included in the model
Molecular marker information can be included in the model

BRCAPRO is a statistical model, with associated software, for assessing the probability that an individual carries a germline deleterious mutation of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, based on family history of breast and ovarian cancer, based on his or her family's history of breast and ovarian cancer, including male breast cancer and bilateral synchronous and asynchronous diagnoses. BRCAPRO uses a Mendelian approach that assumes autosomal dominant inheritance. This assumption is supported extensively by previous linkage analyses. Age-dependent penetrances and prevalences are based on a systematic review of the literature. BRCAPRO was originally developed as part of the Duke SPORE in breast cancer from 1995 to 1999, with Don Berry and Giovanni Parmigiani as project leaders. It is currently distributed free of charge for research and counseling use, either as stand-alone software or via the BayesMendel R library, or via the genetic counseling package CaGene, by David Euhus at UTSW. The latter has been licensed to over one thousand sites, including most high risk clinics within large academic medical centers, who are using the model in both counseling and research.

CaGene Users CAGene is a user-friendly PC-based program developed by David Euhus at U.T. Southwestern Center for Breast Care. It includes the BRCAPRO model as well as alternative models proposed in the literature. It is packaged with a user friendly pedigree-entry questionnaire, pedigree drawing, and data-base utilities. It works on Windows 95 and higher. There is also a CancerGene Website with additional information. To request the program:

1) Download the "licensing agreement"
2) Mail a signed copy to David Euhus, Assistant Professor, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard MC 9155, Dallas, Texas 75235-9155 to expedite things you can send a fax (214-648-7965), but we'll eventually need a real signature.
3) Wait for an email including the program as an attached file.

Users that obtained copies before April 26, 1999 can download an updated copy of CaGene.exe from the FTP-SITE and replace their current version (found in the "Care" folder). In the old version, there is a rare combination of breast cancer ages that can cause a crash in the Claus model module.

Cyrillic users

R Users The BRCAPRO model is now included in the R package BayesMendel for carrier probabiity prediction.

BRCAPRO C Source The C source code for the BRCAPRO program is available by emailing BayesMendel. Please note that the current version of BRCAPRO does not implement this C code anymore.

Package Vignette

Penetrance/Prevalence Input Files

Corresponding to the Claus model: rates.claus.dat (Oct 1998)
rates.aj.dat for Ashkenazi families and rates.non.dat for others. (Aug 2000)
Reducing the above penetrances by 1/2: rates.aj.5.dat for Ashkenazi families and rates.non.5.dat for others (Aug 2000)
With constant relative risk: rates.aj.airr.dat for Ashkenazi families and rates.non.airr.dat for others (Aug 2000)

BayesMendel Lab

BRCAPRO

NEWS: Recent updates to the BRCAPRO software include: